Lock nut



March 26, 1946. R, E EGGERT 2,397,251

LOCK NUT Filed Nov. 29, 1944 Tz'-E' 5 RONAQLQEGLQT.

Patented Mar. 26, 1946 .LOCK NUT Ronald Edgar'Egget, Burbank, Calif., assigner4 to Adel lPrecision A:Products Corp., a corporation of California ApplicatinnaNnyember 29, 1944, Serial rNo. .565,716

Y2 Claims.

This .invention :relates .to threadless spring nuts of the ,self-.locking .type .in whicharesilient :body prA base Ais provided with yopposed resilient tongues for threadedly engaging a :bolt or like .fastening so :as to lock Athe nut thereon Vand hold the bolt or fasteningthereon.

An object of the presentinventionzis tozprovide Aa `nut of the character describedwhich embodies improvements .over .similar nuts `in lpoint of :simplicity of construction, `ease and inexpensiveness of manufacture, added .spring action, 1a more `1'eliab1e-locking action,` durability and `ability .to "remain securely in fplace under y:vibratoryandzother forces which would otherwiseloosenztheinut.

lAnother object of this inventionis toiprovide a nut such as above described in-fwhch thebody or'base-portion as well as .the spring .bolt-engag- ,ing tongues `integral therewith `are .constructed andarranged to cause :said tongues toincreasing- .ly bind against the bolt under .the 'spring :action of .the nut as a whole.

,Another object of my invention :is .toplvidela .nut such as ydescribed in which the body :portion thereof is A.preformed with aan outward bow to .increase the .locking action .of the :nut against the bolt.

.Afurther object :is to provide .1a nut1construction .suchas described which-may bezembodiedfas apart of .alargermeniber ithanzthe body nr base proper of the znutasgforexample, in itheend of a conduit clip or .in any part ofxany other-:sheet ,metalimember of larger area :than `required :to `form the body orbase ofzthe nut.

With the foregoing objects :in view,'1together with :such Aother objects and Aadvantages :as .may subsequently appear, the invention residesin :the parts and in the combination, construction yfand arrangement of parts as hereinafter describe'dand claimed, andas illustrated .by way of example in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a. nut embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the nut;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the nut;

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the nut; 1

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2 showing the nut applied to -a bolt and as the nut and bolt would appear before being tightened;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing the nut and bolt as when tightened;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing one way of embodying the nut hereof in a larger sheet metal member than required for the base of the nut, such a `member .being .in .thisinstance a :conlduit .supporting clip.

Referring to the accompanying.drawingmore specifically it .will rbe seen that one 'embodiment of Arnyimproved nut .-is .made lfrom 5a .single ,piece or strip of resilient :strap metal -or resilient sheet lmetal bent back on .itself to provide opposed rel.silient tongues A8 anda substantially rectangular .baseer body-portion 9. Thisbody portion isprovided with a central opening IIJ forfreereception of zabolt or likethreadedmember ll .-sothat the tongues 8 may .have 1threaded engagement with `such `bolt .or member.

V'.Ihe tongues sare joined tothe .opposite ends ofthe .base 9 by means of-.curved bends .|2..each preferablyhaving a radius equal to approximately .twice xthe `.thickness of the base. .As .here shown `these .tongues overlie `the base in end to .end irelation and-are provided at their spaced and opposed .free ends with arcuate bolt-engaging edges I3.

In `orderzthat the v,edges v.I3 will .be disposed at .the proper Ahelix .angle for effecting .a V screw threaded engagement with the bolt; the tongues .8 .are .inclined -`.or .canted transversely .thereof in .,oppositeedirections-also.inclined;outwardlytoward ,theirjfree ends.

.For `the purpose of increasing Lthe .lockingac- .tion .of the edges I.,3 .against the Jbbltthe body .or vbore `Sl yis .bowed .outwardly toward the .tongues 8 between .its ends .and will therefore seat at its .ends only .onone of the twofmembers :I4 and .I5 through .which the .bolt is extended, Vupon the ,initial .contact of the nut with Vsaidone member .as shoWn.in.Fig5.

Fig. .5 `.shows how vthe,nu1, .is applied to the bolt so thatthelatter'may be .tightened to secure the members I4 and `I5 together, it being noted that "before .tightenin'g the bolt, thethreaded engagement of the edges I3 with the bolt causes :the tongues 8 and the base 9 to be flexed so as to exert a spring force urging the edges I3 into closer and tighter threaded engagement with the threads of the bolt as the bolt is screwed-in or as the nut is screwed-in on the bolt. This tightening engagement of the edges I3 with the bolt increases as the bolt or nut is screwed-in, the tongues being flexed inwardly toward the base and the base tending rst to bow further outwardly until the tongues move past a. position of substantially parallelism with the base and assume the final locking position such as that shown in Fig. 6. In this final position the tongues are inclined inwardly from the bends I2 towards their free ends and force exerted thereby against the base 9 in moving the tongues 8 into such iinal locking position with their ends lying close to the base, causes the base to be attened out as Vshown inV Fig. 6, and the edges I3 to bite into the bolt Vase'ageci Y 'i i .Y

While` I have shown and vdescribeda specific embodiment of my invention I do not limit myself to the exact details of construction set forth,

and lock the nut thereon under a spring force and in such manner that loosening of the nut and bolt is effectively prevented and the bolt is therefore reliably held in place. u

It should be noted that the tongues are flexed both longitudinallyand transverselyas well as bent inwardly toward the base, and the resilient bends I2, resilient tongues 8 and resilient base .9- are all flexed to the extent that the entire nut exerts an effective spring force urging the edges .Y

I3 tightly against the bolt locking the nut and bolt together.

Fig. 7 shows a nut structure A identical with that shown in Figs. l to ginclusive except that it is formed on the end of a conduit supporting cliprB. In View of this arrangement it is apparent that the `nut hereof may be :formedv in various sheet and strap metal members of larger by means of ja wrench if desired.` A

The edges YI3 maybe chamfered toadapt the area orv extentrthan required'to formthe'vbase -nut to ne V-type threads as on machine screw.

other type threads the edges may Y However. for be'leftfsguarelfg l Y y ,t A

An important feature of the nut Yhereof'is that it exerts a yielding or spring action axially of the bolt thereby subjecting the members held by the boltandl nut to la yieldingcompression'and securely 'holding them together when the nut is tightened, (This. action together with the distortion ofthe body or base caused by the coaction of the bolt and thetongues sets up aV force such that the nut and bolt aresecurely held in tightened positionunder compression this force being eiectively maintained as longas the tongues are threadedly engaged with the bolt in theposition showninFg-6. u I

It should', 'bef noted that the'tongues normally extend substantially at Vright angles to the axis of the screw upon initial application of the nut thereto. Thus,A as the screw is tightened the forces spreading thetongues apart are directed along vthe tongues Vin planes normal'to the axis of the screw and throughV the bends I 2 tend to :Hatten the bowed base portion. When the screw is tightened the free ends of the tongues will lie closer toY the base than the remainder of .the

tongues andV the lines of force then set up are such as tosubstantially flatten and hold flattened the base portion whereby the resilient forces aforementioned assure the locking of the nut on the Vscrew to prevent loosening Vvof the screw and nut. Y

10 .g i 1; In a nut, a, resilient base portion having an threaded fastening member, and resilient tongues formed by bending back opposite end portions VYof' said base portion and extending such bent back and the'invention embraces such changes, medin-V cations and equivalents of the parts'and their formation and arrangement as come within the purview of the appended claims.

.Y .I claim: Y n

opening for reception of a bolt or like screw portions over-the base `portion with their free endsv spaced apart for reception therebetween of a screw'Y threaded fastening inserted through said opening, said base portion being bowed outwardly between'the points where the tongues are in continuity with opposite ends thereof, saidtonguesv being inclined and positioned to dispose the ,free ends thereof at the proper helix angle for teffecting a screw threaded engagement'with said fastening, the base portion and tongues being coristructed and arranged so that the freeV ends of the tongues will iiex inwardly to lieV closer-'to the base portion than the Yremainder of the tongues and bite intothe fastening when the Alatter is Y Yscrewed up throughv the nut, while said bowed base flattens under theforce exerted by the in- Yward flexing of Vsaid tongues.

r2. In a nut, a resilient sheet metal plate-like base having an opening therein through'which aV screw-threaded fastening maybe freely inserted and removed without threadedV contact -with ithe base, and resilient sheet `metal tongues formed-h by bending back opposite terminal 'portions of the base so that such bent back portions'ove'rlie the base with'the'ir free ends spacedapart over the opening in the base, said free ends being aryranged to have screw-threaded engagementwith said fastening when the latter is turned'ther'ebetween; there being arcuate bends at the Yjuncv ture of said base and said tongues suchN that the -axesycf the tongues `in a direction towards-"said free ends are substantially'normal to the Vaxis of the fastening upon initial application of the nut thereto, said base being normally bowedoutward-V ly so that only the extremities thereof nextfadjacent said bends will initially vcontact theniember against which the nut will rest during/the tightening of the fastening; the base, 'bendsfan'd j tongues being so relatively arranged'that as the fastening is tightenedr the portion of the bowed base around the opening therein and the 'freelends of the tongues will be flexed inwardly and lie closer to one another thanY the remainder of the tongues and base when the fastening istight'- 

